---
title: "Point Cloud Formats and Settings"
slug: "point-cloud-settings-1"
description: "Point Cloud Settings cover Colorize point clouds, Filtering mode (NavVis M6 only), Preset (NavVis VLX only), Resolution and Format. Resolution defaults to 10mm, adjustable 5mm to 100mm; formats include PLY, E57, PTS, XYZ, LAS, POD and RCS."
tags: ["Colorization Options", "Point Cloud Formats", "Point Cloud Settings"]
updated: 2026-03-09T09:49:32Z
published: 2026-03-09T09:49:32Z
canonical: "knowledge.navvis.com/point-cloud-settings-1"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://knowledge.navvis.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Point Cloud Formats and Settings

Point Cloud Settings let you control how your scan data is processed, visualized, and stored. On this page, you’ll find options to enable or disable colorization, choose device‑specific filters or presets, adjust the point spacing (resolution), and select the output file format (PLY, E57, PTS, XYZ, LAS). Together, these settings help you balance visual quality, file size, and compatibility with downstream workflows.

### Point Cloud Settings

The most important settings can be configured in the [Settings Tab](/v1/docs/understanding-the-ui).

![](https://cdn.document360.io/bf174766-fa1a-4fe1-a4d7-b1db1e7cb996/Images/Documentation/image(43).png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-15T08%3A10%3A04Z&se=2026-10-15T09%3A10%3A04Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=dT24KK5r5lrL%2FJQFLcqVisXJPrA4omqHz4EJTuB9hPA%3D)

- **Colorize point clouds**: this checkbox is selected by default. The point clouds will be colorized with the RGB information extracted from the images captured.
- **Filtering mode (NavVis M6 only)**: point cloud [filtering modes](/v1/docs/point-cloud-settings).
- **Preset (NavVis VLX only)**: different NavVis VLX [presets](/v1/docs/detailed-point-cloud-options).
- **Resolution**: Set to 10mm at default, but can be changed from 5mm to up to 100mm.
- **Format**: By default, the point cloud is stored in .ply-format. Other formats available are E57, PTS, XYZ, and LAS.

### Point Cloud Formats

The following Point cloud file formats are supported by NavVis:

**LAS, PTS, XYZ, PLY, E57 with panoramas, POD (Pointools) and RCS.**

- When processing in a terminal, the point cloud data generated using NavVis System Software is written by default in the `PLY `format.
- When processing with NavVis SiteMaker, select the format from the UI. The default format in SiteMaker is `.e57`.

Both formats are supported by a variety of tools and can store XYZ coordinates, Normals, and color information.

A Point Cloud is as a collection of data points in space that typically represent the external surface of an object or environment. Point clouds are used in various applications, including 3D scanning and mapping, and can be visualized and manipulated using Navvis IVION. You can perform actions such as panning, orbiting, cleaning up noise, cropping, and downloading data in formats like .e57 or .ply. The resolution of point clouds processed with NavVis Software achieves a minimum detail of 5mm, indicating the precision of the spatial data points.

User Interface

Normals are perpendicular to the tangent plane line at a particular point on the surface. They yield especially useful information about a curved surface's characteristics but conversely can tell us much about the planarity of a flat or angular surface also. Normals can tell us the rate of change of curvature when a surface has an angular departure and tell us just how perfectly flat something is.